U.S. Soccer Wire - June 5, 2006

NewsJun 5, 2006

U.S. MNT Settles in Hamburg in Advance of 2006 FIFA World CupOpener Against Czech Republic on Monday, June 12

HAMBURG ARRIVAL: The U.S. Men’s National Team arrived in Germany on Friday morning (photos), landing at the Hamburg Airport at 6:03 a.m. The red carpet was laid out for the team as U.S. Soccer staff, FIFA officials and a swarm of media members welcomed the players and coaches. Lead by a police escort, the team bus swerved through the Hamburg streets before dropping them off at the hotel, where they had breakfast, slept for a bit and then got the ball rolling with their first training session later in the afternoon. The U.S. Men are in their final week of training before opening their 2006 FIFA World Cup campaign against the Czech Republic on Monday, June 12, at 12 p.m. ET at the FIFA World Cup Stadium Gelsenkirchen in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Fans can follow the match live on ESPN2 and Univision.

LINDSEY, LOHMAN JOIN RESIDENCY CAMP; BOXX HAS SURGERY: U.S Women’s National Team head coach Greg Ryan has added two midfielders to Residency Training Camp for the May 28-June 21 training block. Ryan has called in former UVA star Lori Lindsey and former Penn State star Joanna Lohman. Both are currently playing for the Washington Freedom Reserves. Lindsey has one cap for the USA, earned at the end of 2005, while Lohman has four, all earned at the 2001 Algarve Cup. Both players are veterans of the USA’s U-21 Women’s National Team program. Lindsey and Lohman up the total number of players in Residency Training Camp to 30, which includes three college players who also joined camp on Sunday (May 28) in forwards Amy Rodriguez and Lauren Cheney, and defender Stephanie Lopez. All three are also a part of the U.S. U-20 Women’s National Team that will play at the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Championship this August in Russia. Ryan has added midfielders in part because he will lose Shannon Boxx for a maximum of eight weeks after the world’s premier defensive midfielder underwent arthroscopic surgery on her right hip on May 25. The procedure cleaned out scar tissue and fixed a small tear of the labrum. Boxx, who finished third in the voting for FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year in 2005, is already on her feet and engaged in her rehabilitation. She should be working her way back into training with the team in a month.

U.S. SOCCER REFEREE ASSIGNMENTS FINALIZED FOR 2006 FIFA WORLD CUP: Five current and former U.S. Soccer Referees will participate as game officials, instructors and assessors at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. U.S. Soccer and FIFA referee Kevin Stott, along with assistant referees Greg Barkey and Chris Strickland, will form part of FIFA’s Support and Development Group while former U.S. Soccer and FIFA referees Esse Baharmast and Vincent Mauro will be an instructor and an assessor at the tournament, respectively. Mauro will lead the group with an assignment on the very first day, serving as a referee assessor during the World Cup opening match between Germany and Costa Rica. Stott will serve as the fourth official on June 11 in the Group D match between Portugal and Angola, and again on June 13 in the Group G match between France and Switzerland.

– YOUTH NATIONAL TEAMS UPDATE –

U-20 MNT SET TO TRAVEL TO CANADA IN JULY FOR TWO MATCHES: The U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team will travel to Canada in July to face their northern rivals twice during a weeklong training camp. The U.S. will arrive on July 3 and face the Canadian U-20 Men’s National Team on July 7 in Toronto at Rogers Centre (formerly SkyDome) in Toronto at 7 p.m. ET. Two days later, on July 9, the teams will battle once again, this time in Richardson Stadium at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, at 1:30 p.m. ET (tentatively scheduled). Head coach Thomas Rongen will announce the roster for the trip in late June.

U.S. U-20 MNT ScheduleDate OpponentJuly 7 CanadaJuly 9 Canada

U-18 MEN TO FACE REAL MADRID AND COMPETE IN LISBON INTERNATIONAL TOURNEY: The U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team will traveled to Spain and will continue on to Portugal to take on the Real Madrid Juniors and compete in the 13th Lisbon International Tournament. The U.S. left on June 2 for Madrid, Spain, and trained for a few days before taking on the Real Madrid Juniors. The following day, the U.S. will travel to Lisbon, Portugal, and have one day of training before kicking off the four-team Lisbon International Tournament. The U.S. will take on Sweden on June 8, and Norway on June 9, before finishing up the tournament on June 11 against the host Portugal.

U.S. U-17 MNT HEADS TO HDC FOR TRAINING CAMP: The U.S. Under-17 Men's National Team will head to The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., for an 11-day training camp that begins June 11 and runs through June 22. U.S. U-17 MNT head coach John Hackworth will take 38 players into camp, including 18 who are not members of U.S. Soccer's Residency Program. Highlighting the training camp is a match against the USL's Bakersfield Brigade of the Premier Development League on Saturday, June 17, at 7:30 p.m. PT at Bakersfield Christian High School in Bakersfield. The U-17 Men will also play against the Chivas USA Reserves, the U.S. Under-15 Men’s National Team and the Los Angeles Galaxy Reserves.

2006 LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP FIELD SET WITH 42 TEAMS: U.S. Soccer has announced the qualifying and first round pairings for the 2006 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Teams from the United Soccer Leagues Second Division and Premier Development League join regional qualifiers from the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) as 18 teams will see action over the next two weeks. The U.S. Open Cup officially kicks off on June 7 at 5:45 p.m. ET in Baltimore, Md., as Allied SC (USASA) hosts the Cape Cod Crusaders (PDL) at Du Burns Arena. The second match of qualifying sees the Croatian Eagles (USASA) of Franklin, Wisc., travel to Iowa to face the Des Moines Menace (PDL) later that day at 7:30 p.m. CT at Waukee High School Stadium in Waukee, Iowa.

U.S. PARALYMPIC SOCCER PLAYER JOSH BLUE ON LAST COMIC STANDING: U.S. Soccer Paralympian and comedian Josh Blue appeared last week on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing.” Blue was the final contestant that passed on to the semifinals, which will air Tuesday (June 6) at 9 p.m. ET. Blue was a member of the team that finished in seventh place at the recent 2005 Paralympic World Championships staged in Connecticut and participated at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens, Greece. Paralympic soccer is played seven-a-side by athletes with cerebral palsy, who have survived a stroke or sustained traumatic brain injury.

PEAK PERFORMER: U.S. Soccer Paralympian Josh Blue demonstrated that life outside of soccer can be pretty funny. Blue entered NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” competition and was the last comedian to move on to the semifinals. The first of the two semifinal shows airs Tuesday (June 6) at 9 p.m. CT on NBC.

MARQUEE MATCHUP: The excruciating wait until the beginning of the 2006 FIFA World Cup will be over in just four short days, with host Germany opening the tournament against Costa Rica in Munich at 12 p.m. ET on Friday, June 9. Just three days later, the U.S. MNT opens their 2006 World Cup campaign, taking on the Czech Republic in Group E play at 12 p.m. ET in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Fans can watch the U.S. opener live on ESPN2 and Univision.

SOCCER SHOCKER: Goal-scoring goalkeepers are nothing new, with the likes of former Colombian ‘keeper Rene Higuita and former Paraguayan goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert often taking free kicks and penalty kicks for their national squads. On Tuesday, May 30, Colombian ‘keeper Luis Martinez shocked Poland with a goal of his own when he collected the ball in the area, carried it to the top of the box and punted it clear of the Colombian end. The ball carried low, skidded at the half-circle at the top of Poland’s 18-yard box and, catching Polish ‘keeper Tomasz Kuszczak off his line, bounced over the goalkeeper and just under the crossbar. Martinez’s goal turned out to be the game-winner in Colombia’s 2-1 win.

QUOTABLE: “I don't think it's cheating, it's cunning. I said it was the 'Hand of God' because God gives us the hand. And because it is very difficult for it not to be seen by two people, the referee and the linesman."-- Maradona talks to the Mercury News about his infamous "Hand of God" goal against England at the 1986 World Cup.